Necessary Evil

by Donald Hanley

  “Don’t worry about it.” I shrugged the shirt back on and plucked at it distastefully. It was oversized, light pink, and V-necked, none of which I particularly cared for. I’d be glad to get back into my own clothes. “We’re running out of time.”

  “What do you mean?” She bent down to retrieve her ghost doll from the floor. It was just a twisted wad of tissue now and she tossed it onto the counter with a grimace.

  “Dad’s not going to give up until he gets to the bottom of this and Lilith’s not going to give up until she has the Philosopher’s Stone. The only way to end this before someone gets hurt or arrested is to stop her before she finds a demon lord we can’t beat.”

  “But we don’t know where she is,” Olivia pointed out.

  “Maybe we can find out, though.” The beginnings of a plan started to form in my mind. “I need to talk to Dara.” I heard a door close down the hall. “Don’t say anything to Mrs. Kendricks. She’s not going to like what I have in mind.”

  “I don’t like it either!”

  “You haven’t even heard it yet.”

  “No, but if she won’t like it, neither will I.”

  “Just trust me,” I told her.

  “Are we ready?” Mrs. Kendricks asked when she reappeared. She wore what I was beginning to think of her witching uniform: a loose blouse, a long floral skirt, and a pair of wands keeping her hair up in a shapeless bun.

  “Ready,” I said, getting to my feet and giving Olivia what I hoped was a significant glance.

  “All right, let me just dispose of any imps who might be waiting outside and we can go.”

  There were two of them but they met their demise with quiet pops and our drive back to the house was otherwise uneventful. We did have to call Melissa at work to get her to tell Carl the security guard to let us through the gate but I pulled up in front of the house a few minutes later.

  “At least it’s still standing,” I observed sourly as I walked up the steps. I tried the latch but it refused to budge. “Uh-oh. Does anyone know the code?” I pulled out my phone to call Melissa again.

  “Let’s not bother her more than we need to,” Mrs. Kendricks said. She pressed the doorbell and a reverberating two-tone chime sounded somewhere inside. We waited but there was no sign of life inside. She tried again with the same results.

  “That’s not good,” I said uneasily. “How do we get in?”

  “If only someone had a teleportation spell,” Olivia declared, rolling her eyes.

  “Oh, right.” I pulled up Teleportal and envisioned the foyer on the other side of the door. I rested my hand on Mrs. Kendricks’ shoulder and tapped the icon and a moment later we were recovering our balance inside.

  “That is a remarkable skill to have,” she noted with a smile, looking around curiously. “I’m jealous.”

  “Peter!” I heard through the door. “What about me?”

  “Just walk in,” I called back. “You’re a ghost, remember?”

  Olivia stepped through but wouldn’t meet my eyes. “I knew that,” she mumbled.

  I looked around but we were the only people in sight. “Susie?” I called. My voice echoed down the hall. “Dara? Are you here?” There was no response.

  “Are they asleep?” Mrs. Kendricks asked. “It’s still early.”

  “Dara might be but Susie was up when we left.” I hesitated and then led the way upstairs to Mr. Andrews’ bedroom. I cracked open the door and peered inside but the bed was unoccupied. “Not here,” I reported. I tried Melissa’s room next and found Daraxandriel seated at Melissa’s computer with the headphones on, playing Lorecraft.

  “Oh my God, Peter!” Olivia gasped. “Close your eyes! She’s naked again!”

  “She’s naked still, you mean,” I muttered under my breath. “Dara. Dara!”

  Her tail lifted off her lap and poked her in the side. She looked down and then over at us clustered in the doorway and slipped her headphones off. “Well met, Dame Kendricks,” she said. “I did not expect to see thee here this day.”

  “Neither did I,” Mrs. Kendricks said dryly, “but Peter and Olivia have been rather busy this morning. Where’s Susie?”

  “The waif is –” She gestured to Melissa’s bed and then frowned when she realized it was empty. “She has abandoned me.” She sounded peeved.

  “She didn’t say where she was going?”

  “She did utter summat about breaking her fast. I urged her to await thy return,” she told me.

  “That’s all right,” I assured her. “I’ve already eaten.”

  “I’ll go see if she’s in the kitchen,” Mrs. Kendricks offered.

  “I’ll go with her!” Olivia exclaimed, casting one last horrified look at Daraxandriel before fleeing the room.

  “So Lilith’s out there throwing more demons at me and you’re sitting here playing Lorecraft?” I asked incredulously. To be fair, Daraxandriel didn’t know about this morning’s adventure in the cemetery but I would have thought her priorities would be a bit more focused on the problem at hand. Lilixandriel was her sister, after all.

  “Nay, there is a purpose to our actions, Peter Simon Collins,” she insisted. “The waif asked me to create her a character, that she might gain powers such as thine.”

  I leaned over her shoulder and saw a slender female elf with pale gold hair standing atop a grassy knoll, holding an ornate staff. “Is that supposed to be Susie?”

  “The semblance is imperfect,” she admitted, “but the waif was impatient. Mayhap we can amend it later.”

  “Who came up with the name?” Susiana Morningstar was a level 3 cleric with a decent selection of buffs on her spell bar already.

  “She proposed XasdfX but I did insist on a proper appellation.”

  “That sounds like Susie,” I sighed. “So did it work? Does she have powers now?”

  Daraxandriel shook her head. “Nay. She was sorely vexed.”

  “That explains why she’s not here anymore but why are you still playing?”

  She looked embarrassed. “I have only played Dara Alexander ere now. I was intrigued by the new tales unfolding for Susiana.”

  “That’s why most people play multiple characters, so they can try out all the quests. Speaking of which,” I glanced around to make sure we were still alone, “I need to ask you something.”

  “Aye?”

  “Can you track Lilith in the shadowed paths?”

  Her eyes widened and her tail reared back in alarm. “Whyfor wouldst thou ask such of me, Peter Simon Collins?” she asked in dismay. “Art thou so displeased with me?”

  “No, of course not!” I assured her hastily. “But I don’t get it. Can’t you just go in and look around and see if you can find out where she is?”

  She shook her head vehemently. “It is not so simple a thing. The shadowed paths are fraught with peril, even for a demon. Without a soul for my passage, those charged to defend the borders of Hell from without may set upon me.”

  “But you’ve used the shadowed paths before without a soul, haven’t you?”

  “If one is swift and does not linger, they can be traversed. Yet to discover Lilixandriel’s whereabouts would be neither simple nor swift. The realm of Hell is vast, Peter Simon Collins, as it needs must be to harbor all the souls that mankind has sullied.”

  “Well, crap.” That wasn’t what I envisioned at all. “We’re never going to win this battle unless we can hit Lilith first and we can’t do that if we don’t know where she is.” I walked over to Melissa’s bed and flopped onto it, knuckling my eyes while I tried to come up with an alternate plan. “Is there anyone in Hell who might be willing to help us out?” I was really grasping at straws if the only thing I could come up with was begging demons to help me defeat other demons.

  “Mayhap,” she said doubtfully, “yet we have no means to sway their loyalties. Imps may be coerced,” she added with a grimace, “but they cannot be trusted.”

  “Lilith doesn’t seem to have any problems with them,” I p
ointed out.

  “She is more suasive than I,” she said glumly, staring down at her hands. “She beckons lords of Hell to her cause, mere imps cannot gainsay her.”

  “Well, so much for that idea,” I sighed. “We’re just going to have to wait for her to make her next move.”

  “Yet that works to her advantage, does it not?”

  “Yes, but we don’t have much of a choice, do we?”

  She didn’t answer but a moment later the bed sagged and dipped as she crawled up beside me, pressing her heating pad of a body against my side. She rested her head on my shoulder, although I had to tilt my head to keep her horns from rubbing against my cheek.

  “Thy demise shall be laid at my feet, Peter Simon Collins,” she said miserably. “All for my failure to claim Parathraxas’ soul.”

  “There’s plenty of blame to go around,” I told her. “Dr. Bellowes stuck you in that geode, Susie bought it, I broke it open, Mrs. Kendricks brought in Dr. Bellowes to capture you, Olivia sold her soul to Lilith, Lilith was spawned.”

  “Nay, had I not taken the Philosopher’s Stone from my Dread Lord’s trove, none of this would have come to pass. The guilt is mine and mine alone.” She rested her hand on my chest, right over the Stone. “I would that I had failed in mine attempt.”

  “Then we never would have met,” I reminded her, pulling her closer. “That’s worth dying for, don’t you think?”

  She leaned back to look at me in surprise, her glowing eyes just inches from mine. “Peter Simon Collins,” she whispered and the scent of snuffed-out candlewicks wafted around me. Her lips parted as she moved closer and I closed my eyes in fluttery anticipation. Then she suddenly pushed herself upright. “I have it!” she declared.

  “Wha – what?” I grunted as she flung her leg over me, straddling my hips, and tried to pull my shirt up. “Wait, lock the door first!” The door was still open but thankfully there was no one in the hallway outside.

  “Give me thy Stone!” She grabbed the jewel and yanked but its chain was still looped around my neck.

  “Ow! Stop that!” I pulled it out of her grasp. “What are you doing?”

  “Thou art bound to the Stone,” she explained excitedly. “Thou canst be the soul that grants me passage!”

  “Wait, what? You’re going to take my soul?” I tried to wriggle away from her but she was too heavy to shift.

  “Nay!” She planted her hands on my shoulders, pinning me down, her fang flashing in a triumphant smile. “Thou wouldst be unharmed, yet with the Stone in my possession thy soul would accompany me upon the shadowed paths.”

  “So we can go looking for Lilith?” She nodded eagerly. “That’s great! What do we have to do?” I tried to sit up but I had no leverage at all. “Get up!” She slid off me and stood while I shoved my way to the edge of the bed. I reached for the chain and then hesitated. “Are you sure about this? The last time I took this off, Lilith stole it.”

  Daraxandriel looked insulted. “I am no thief, Peter Simon Collins!” she retorted.

  “Aren’t you the one who took it in the first place?”

  She blinked at me and then looked away. “’Twas but the once,” she mumbled guiltily. “The Stone shall be safe, I swear it. I shall defend it unto my death.”

  “Let’s not go that far.” I pulled the Stone over my head and held it out to her. “I’d rather have you than this.”

  She ducked her head shyly. “Thou dost flatter me shamelessly,” she murmured but she couldn’t help but smile. She took the chain and wrestled it over her horns, letting the Stone fall between her breasts. I pulled my eyes back up to hers with some difficulty.

  “So what happens now?”

  “Now we tread the shadowed paths together.” She grasped my wrists and pulled me to my feet. “Thou wilt find my realm harsh and tricksome,” she cautioned me. “Cleave by my side and prepare to flee at my command.”

  “Sounds like it’s going to be a heckuva first date,” I murmured.

  “Thou mayst procure fries for me upon our return,” she grinned. “Art thou prepared?”

  “I guess,” I said, taking a deep breath. I took a last look around Melissa’s bedroom, wondering if I’d ever see it again, and then I realized we’d forgotten something important. “We can’t just disappear. Everyone’s going to think Lilith captured us or something.”

  “An we inform the others of our intent, they may seek to dissuade us,” Daraxandriel warned.

  “Mrs. Kendricks will never go along with this,” I agreed. “We’ll ask for forgiveness after we’re done but we need a backup plan, just in case things go wrong. I’ll leave her a note.” I scoured the room but there were no scraps of paper or writing implements anywhere to be found. Scrawling a message in lipstick on Melissa’s mirror would certainly draw their attention but I rejected that option as overly dramatic. Instead, I sat at her computer and opened a blank page in her word processor.

  Dara and I have gone into the shadowed paths, I typed. We’re going to find out what Lilith’s up to and if I get the chance, I’ll try to deal with her on my own. If we’re not back – I paused and sat back, drumming my fingers lightly on the keyboard. “How long do you think this is going to take?”

  “Who can say?” Daraxandriel shrugged helplessly. “Lilixandriel may be far afield and the hours unfold at their own pace twixt thy world and mine.”

  I glanced at my watch, added a couple of hours, and then bumped that up for good measure. If we’re not back by noon, something’s gone wrong and Lilith probably has the Philosopher’s Stone. Use my phone to call her for confirmation and ask her to leave the rest of you alone. Don’t try to follow us, I don’t want anyone else risking their lives for me. With any luck, we’ll be back soon and this will all be over. If not, tell Mom and Dad and Susie I love them. Peter.

  I sat back and stared at my letter for the longest time. It read like a suicide note but I couldn’t think of any other way to say what needed to be said. I pulled out my phone and set it on the desk, leaving the message displayed on the monitor.

  “All right,” I said quietly. “Let’s do this.”

  15

  Between school and Dad’s work schedule, the furthest I’ve ever been from home was that weekend we spent in New Braunfels a couple of summers ago. Being cooped up in the back of a minivan with Susie for four-and-a-half hours pretty much soured me on road trips but I’d like to see more of the world someday. Melissa invited me to tour Europe with her and her mother after we graduate. If she’s still speaking to me by then, that might be fun.

  American tourists tend to have a poor reputation overseas, unfortunately. We seem to expect everyone to speak perfect English (as if we do), US currency should be accepted everywhere, and there darn well better be a McDonald’s within walking distance or else. We love visiting other lands and immersing ourselves in other cultures, as long as they’re exactly like home.

  That’s an exaggeration, of course, but there’s still a grain of truth in it. Most people are uncomfortable when they’re thrust into a situation where they can’t speak the language, read the signs, or understand the unspoken rules. Repeating yourself loudly and slowly isn’t the way to get someone to help you out, as it turns out. You have to at least try to fit in, even if it’s painfully obvious you have no idea what you’re doing. Most of the time, the natives appreciate the effort and they’ll try to meet you halfway, even if they still won’t accept your perfectly good dollars for that souvenir.

  I stepped out of the shadows into a forest that would probably give me nightmares if I lived long enough to fall asleep again. The trees were all black and twisted, their branches reaching out like gnarled fingers tipped with thorns, eager to snatch anyone or anything that strayed too close. Deep red motes drifted up between the trunks like sparks rising from a dying fire, merging with the slowly-roiling clouds hanging low overhead, and a dark, thin haze crept along the ground.

  I turned around and found a thick, twisting column of smoky shadows at the i
ntersection of five narrow paths that snaked their way out of sight in all directions. It reminded me of the one Bellaxragor had stepped out of behind the library and I wondered if this was the gateway Daraxandriel had brought us through or something else.

  She stood a short distance away, looking around warily, her eyes shining like red-tinged lanterns in the darkness while the Philosopher’s Stone pulsed in an irregular beat. Her tail flicked back and forth like it belonged to a cat in a room full of rocking chairs.

  Is everything all right? I asked, or at least I tried to. No sound came out of my mouth at all. What’s wrong with my voice? I tried again, with the same result.

  “Naught is amiss, Peter Simon Collins,” Daraxandriel told me. “Thou art incorporeal here.”

  What? I looked down and saw absolutely nothing except a faint white glow on the ground where my feet should have been. I was completely invisible. Where’s my body? I shouldn’t have been able to hit that note of panic without vocal cords but I managed it somehow.

  “It shall be restored to thee when we depart. Now hush thyself. Danger lurks everywhere here.” She inspected each of the paths and finally chose one, although they all looked the same to me. “Come,” she said.

  How? I asked but my soul or whatever I was now responded to my intent and I followed after her, floating near her left shoulder. Where are we going? I tried to keep my disembodied voice quiet. Since Daraxandriel didn’t tell me to shush again, I presumed I was successful.

  “To the Styx.” Her head swiveled back and forth, scanning the trees on other side.

  The sticks?

  “The River Styx. Lilixandriel needs must cross it to find her champions.” Overhead, the clouds dimmed and flared in time with a distant rumble of thunder. I hoped it wasn’t about to start raining. “We may learn of her whereabouts from the boatmen.”

  The path branched several times but Daraxandriel continued on without hesitation, although she was stumped when I asked her how she knew which way to go. “Canst thou not see?” she asked, waving her arm at something. I shook my head doubtfully but that did no good since I didn’t have a head anymore, so I expressed my ignorance aloud. “Thy senses are stunted,” she complained.